Running-gear for vehicles



(No Model.)

H. G. SWAN. RUNNING GEAR FOR VEHIOLES.

No. 558,229. Patented Apr. 14, 1896. r

JUL/E2710]: M 6. M a, 1244 W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY O. SVVAN,-OF OSHKOSI-I, TVISOONSIN.

RUNNING-G EAR FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,229, dated April 14;, 1896. Application filed May 8, 1895. SerialNo. 548,461. (No model.)

To ctZl whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY C. SWAN, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Oshkosh, in the county of Winnebago and State of WVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Running-Gear for Vehicles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a 7 full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel construction of fifth-wheel and geariron for vehicles which will permit them to turn short even when a wide body is used.

One serious objection to vehicles as now commonly constructed is that they require a large space within which to turn around. This objection has been overcome at various times, but by means which were expensive and unsatisfactory for various other reasons. For

example, the Wagon-body has been constructed with a wheel-house, which allowed the front wheel to pass under the body in said wheel-house; but a body constructed in this way is not adapted for ordinary use from the fact that the wheel-house consumes a large amount of space in the body which might be otherwise used to greater advantage. I overcome this objection and accomplish the desired result by mechanism hereinafter described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a central longitudinal vc ctical section of my improved device, and Fig. 2 is a top view of the fifth-wheel.

Referring to the parts by letters, A represents the axle, and B the axle-bed.

O and 0 represent, respectively, the top and bottom sections of the front spring, which may be of the ordinary elliptical pattern.

D represents the wagon-body.

E and F represent, respectively, the top and bottom fifth-wheel sections.

It is usual in the construction of vehicles of this class to construct them with a fifthwheel attached to the axle, in which case the front spring is rigidly connected with the body and the axle moves independently of the spring; but to better accomplish the results desired I reverse this portion of the construction of the vehicle and attach the .the king-bolt.

The upper fifth-wheel section E is bolted to the bottom of the body, and its front part or friction-plate e is in the form of an arc of a circle, of which the king-bolt P is the center. At the rear of the king-bolt is a small plate e in the form of a sector of a circle, of which said king-bolt is also the center.

The lower fifth-wheel section F has at its front end a friction-plate f in the form of the arc of a circle, upon which the upper circle 6 rests. The middle part of the lower front circle f rests upon and is clipped to the middle part of the upper spring-section O. The two fifth-wheel sections are pivoted together, preferably by means of a cylindrical boss e on one of the fifth-wheel sections, which enters a corresponding hole in the other section F, and the king-bolt P is used to hold the two sections together. On the rear part of the lower fifth-wheel section is an arm f, which bears upon the upper side of the small circle 6.

When the fifth-wheel is constructed and connected, as described, with the other parts named, it is necessary, as before stated, to make a joint in the perch directly in line with the king-bolt. In order that this joint shall be practical, it is necessary that the two parts of the perch shall have no movement with respect to each other except the movement on the joint-pivot. This result has been secured heretofore in several different ways, all more or less clumsy and imperfect, one

of which was to allow the king-bolt to pass strength. This constl action was unsatisfactory because of its being too bulky and heavy. I accomplish this result by the more simple construction and arrangement of parts shown in the drawings, wherein K represents the upper plate of the rear perch-section, on the front end of which are the two conical bosses 7c and 70, on the upper and lower sides thereof, respectively. A central perforation passes through both of these bosses and is adapted to receive the bolt P. The front perch-section, consists of twp plates L L, which are held together by belts or other suitable means. Their rear ends are separated a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the front end of the upper plate K of the rear perchsection. In these rear ends of the perch-plates L L are the conical sockets Z Z, which are adapted to receive the conical bosses 7t 7t. On the lower side of the lower peroh plate L is the cylindrical boss 1*, which passes through a hole in the front end of the lower rear perchplate K. The bolt I" passes axially through the said conical bosses and sockets, thereby holding the parts in the described relation with each other, whereby the front and rear parts of the perch are pivoted together in line with the king-bolt P. A wooden perch K will preferably lie between and be connected with the two rear perch-plates K K, and a,

wooden perch may lie between and be secured to the two front perch-plates L L.

The front ends of the plates L L of the front perch-sections are bolted or clipped to the front axle.

One skilled in the art will see that when the described construction is cramped upon the king-bolt the weight of the body will be thrown to one side or the other of the bearing on the spring. This would tend to depress the overhanging portion of the fiftl1wheel section E. To resist this tendency, I provide the construction heretofore described, consisting of the small rear circle 2' on the upper fifth-wheel section and the arm f, which is connected with the lower fifth-Wheel section and which bears upon the top side of said small circle. It will be seen, therefore, that the lower fifth-Wheel section bears against the gagement of the arm f on top of the small i rear circle, together with the cylindrical boss 0 on one section, which, as before explained, lies in a circular hole in the other fifth-wheel section, will hold the two sections in the described relation to each other even if the king-bolt be lost or broken.

Having described my invention, I claim- I11 vehicle runninggear, the combination of the upper fifth-wheel section, secured to the wagon-body, and having a circle-plate in front of the king-bolt and a small circle-plate behind the king-bolt, the lower fifth-wheel section having a circle-plate in front of the king-bolt and an arm behind the king-bolt which bears against the top side of the rear circle of the upper section, the front axle, and a spring which is connected with the fro t circle of the lower fifth-wheel section and with the axle, with the two front perch'plates L L secured at their front ends to the axle and having the tapered sockets Z l at their rear ends, the lower. plate having also the cylindrical boss Z on the under side of its rear end, the rear perch-plate K having the two tapered bosses on the upper and lower sides of its front end which bosses enter and operate in said tapered sockets, and the plate K, the front end of which embraces the boss 1 the perch to which said perch-plates K K are secured, and the bolt I, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY C. SWAN. \Vitnesses E. L. THURSTON, E. A. ANGELL. 

